Jon Rahm is very clear that even the smallest detail counts when competing. That’s why, in the days leading up to the start of the Alfred Dunhill Championship, he didn’t hesitate to ask Tyrrell Hatton for advice on how to play this tournament. There are only two golfers who have won this event twice. One is the Englishman, his teammate in LIV Golf, and the other is Padraig Harrington. Jon wasn’t going to miss the chance to ask someone so close at hand. The result was an exceptional round of 65 strokes (-7) at Carnoustie.
Hatton revealed the ‘secret’ and Jon followed it to the letter. “I relied on the knowledge of a two-time champion like Tyrrell Hatton and he told me: ‘just hit the driver over every bunker even if it ends up in the rough. Then you’ll have a lob wedge to the green. And that’s basically what I did. I missed in all the right places. My first fairway in the first nine holes was the 17th and I was already three under par. It’s a bit of what you can do when the course isn’t set up for the Open Championship. The rough is a bit lower (especially for the amateurs), so you can be aggressive and have short irons to the greens, and that’s what I’ve done today. From 1 to 9 were better from the tee. I found the fairway most of the time and could be aggressive,” he explained.
Another key to the good day was on the greens. “Without a doubt, there was a clear and sharp aspect in my favour today. My putting was very good today. I hit it well, felt comfortable, but the number of putts I made from 4-5 metres is definitely above average. This is what you need on a golf course like Carnoustie to have a low round. I hope I can keep playing like this in the coming days.”
Finally, it was also very important to avoid big numbers, something that can happen at any moment on a links, especially because of the bunkers. “I avoided disasters on two holes, the 4th and the 5th. I made a great par on the 4th and was lucky on the 5th that I hit it badly enough for my ball to stay short enough of the fairway bunker. I made two pars, but it could have been much worse. Crucial moment of the round there,” he noted.
